On October 26, we had the first presentation in our Treasures Tour series featuring the different faiths in the Uptown community. Initially we had advertised that the discussion about the Unitarian Universalist faith would center on the principle of “Reason” but presenters Rev. Jean Darling of Peoples Church and Margaret Shaklee of the Unitarian Church of Evanston became a “tag team” giving alternate bits of historical information tracing the interplay of “head” (reason) and “heart” (intuition) in the separate developments of the Unitarian and Universalist churches and their merger in 1961. The trend towards “reason” was a reaction against some churches who asked their members to blindly follow the decrees and interpretation of church authorities. The principle of reason recognizes that each individual needs to think out for themselves what makes sense and question any blanket assumptions. In America there was also the trend towards “intuition,” for people to be aware of their own experiences of the spiritual that may be beyond rational analysis, as seen in the Transcendentalists of New England in the late 19th century.
Among the topics that stimulated discussion with the Baptist, Buddhist and Baha’i attendees was how ceremonial rituals give moments of “non-rational” experience interspersed with the usual explanatory elements of church services such as readings and sermons. In the Unitarian Universalist service there is the “lighting of the chalice” – candle sitting in a wide, shallow cup is lit to symbolize the brightness of wisdom and the warmth of community (see the photo below). Unitarian Universalists have experimented with rituals from other faith traditions with varying results. Rev. Jean said even the singing of hymns is controversial among UU members – she remembered that at one church where she interned, one woman would stand with arms folded in protest during the singing. She and Margaret joked that UU members fall behind in singing to the music because they’re reading ahead to the next verses to see if they agree with the words.
Among the topics that stimulated discussion with the Baptist, Buddhist and Baha’i attendees was how ceremonial rituals give moments of “non-rational” experience interspersed with the usual explanatory elements of church services such as readings and sermons. In the Unitarian Universalist service there is the “lighting of the chalice” – candle sitting in a wide, shallow cup is lit to symbolize the brightness of wisdom and the warmth of community (see the photo below). Unitarian Universalists have experimented with rituals from other faith traditions with varying results. Rev. Jean said even the singing of hymns is controversial among UU members – she remembered that at one church where she interned, one woman would stand with arms folded in protest during the singing. She and Margaret joked that UU members fall behind in singing to the music because they’re reading ahead to the next verses to see if they agree with the words.
The Unitarian Universalist churches have been continually evolving since the 1961 merger and into the 21st century. Margaret and Rev. Jean shared some of the UU pamphlets to give us a sense of the open and welcoming spirit of their faith where each individual’s approach to spirituality is respected. Whatever their past religious experiences, the UU Church tries very hard to make it's members feel a part of the spiritual community that it has created. The theme of social justice also runs strongly through the activities of Unitarian Universalists – just as they were early on in Chicago history involved in feeding, housing and educating the poor, UU members today participate in many campaigns supporting equality and justice around the world.
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